The writer Frank Sinatra stood in awe of: “I’ll never forget that feeling”
When we talk about iconic periods in music, our mind often strays to the 1960s and ‘70s, given that a lot of bands during this time helped significantly change, develop, and inspire various genres.
You can understand where people are coming from when they pin the ‘60s down as one of the most pivotal decades in music. You had bands like The Beatles, The Who, The Byrds and The Rolling Stones that were all responsible for putting their own spin on the music industry. Their impact didn’t dwindle and die overnight; instead, it’s something that we can still hear in the work that modern bands and artists are putting out there.
Many artists who made music in decades prior grew slightly frustrated at the public’s new adoration for these bands, given they had been making music for a lot longer but had been somewhat put aside while people obsessed over the new artists making waves. One of these disgruntled musicians was Frank Sinatra, who took a jab at The Beatles in one of his press releases after the Fab Four had skyrocketed to fame.
In the press release, Frank Sinatra and his team wrote, “If you happen to be tired of kid singers wearing mops of hair thick enough to hide a crate of melons…” It was done in a bid to try and sell his own record, but also gave readers an insight into what he thought about this band that was taking over the world.
Maybe Sinatra had a right to be a bit annoyed, after all, his voice is one of the best ever to be put through a microphone, and yet, people were starting to dismiss it. It didn’t matter what kind of song was put in front of Sinatra, he took to it like a duck to water. He was making albums before the concept of albums, where the songs are connected and follow a certain pattern, existed, and therefore, his tracks were all hits, each of which was only linked by one thing and one thing only: the raspy, supple vocals of Sinatra.
It’s unclear whether his dislike of the Beatles was the result of their hair, their newfound popularity or the quality of their songs; however, if it was the latter, Sinatra had worked with enough great songwriters to have some level of authority on the topic. There are very few songwriters who were unwilling to work with Sinatra, as having his voice on one of your songs was a real gift.
Despite having worked with so many great songwriters, though, there was one who really stood out to him as an all-time great: Cole Porter. He predominantly worked in musical theatre, but in doing so, produced music that completely revolutionised the industry. A lot of songwriters at the time were worried about taking a great deal of risks with their music, but Porter was no such songwriter. A bit of risque material wasn’t off the cards; in fact, he thrived in making music that explored every corner of the human psyche, regardless of how offensive some people might have found it.
There have been very few writers like Porter, including those artists who came to prominence in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But don’t take my word for it, listen to what Frank Sinatra had to say. “He was one of the first ‘famous’ people I ever met,” said Sinatra, “I was singing at the Rustic Cabin in New Jersey and (his) ‘Night and Day’ was a staple of the set. I sang it every chance I got. But when Porter came in with a group of society types, I started the song and went blank!”
He continued, “I was in awe of his talent and became so nervous at his being there I forgot the lyrics. I still cringe when I think about it. Somehow I got through the number, but I’ll never forget that feeling of complete loss.”
